Bluestripe
by Iseult of the Snows
Summary: A young badgermaid finds her place in life...and gets her revenge.
1. Prolog

A/N: This story was written by me about 4 years ago and if my first fan fic. Please review and be nice, okay?  
  
Disclaimer: In this story some of the names are similar or the same as in Brian Jacques' books The Chronicals of Redwall. However, the story itself is completely my own along with many of the characters.  
  
BLUESTRIPE  
  
The sea winds playfully ruffled the young badger-maid's coarse fur. As she looked off the cliff she was standing on, through the storm she could see the cold grey sea. A stoat flanked by a weasel and a rat stood behind her holding spears at the ready.  
A ferret walked out of the shadows with a smile playing on his lips. "You will curse the day you ever challenged me when the water fills your lungs and you start to sink;" he called to her as he signaled to the stoat to push her off. Before the spear-wielding stoat could push her off she turned to the ferret locking his dark cruel eyes with her own light blue ones. She stood unmoving until the ferret turned tail and ran to the other side of the cliff where he stood shivering like a baby vole. With that, this badger turned and jumped off the cliff into the freezing waters. 


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER I  
  
The salty seawater licked at the badger's fur as she slowly gained consciousness. Very numb, but alive, she took stock of her surroundings. With hills in front and water to the back, she decided to look for shelter from the rain in the hills. With much effort and pain the badger maid slowly walked into the dunes, half dragging her battered body.  
  
Warmth. The badger maid slowly gets up and looked around, she was laying in a pine grove by a fire surrounded by three hares. "What ho badger me young maid? Come have a tucker, wot, wot?", one of the hares said as he passed her on oatcakes and a gourd of dandelion cordial. The hares watched as she wolfed down five oatcakes, only pausing to drink.  
Once the badger maid finished eating the older hare spoke up, "So what's your name missy?"  
"Bluestripe, badger of Sunblaze the Kind and Lady Gorse, who are you?"  
"I'm Colonel Sapwood, she's Breeze, and this young scamp is Swiftpaw. We're the jolly old long patrol from Salamandastron."  
"How did you get here?" Bluestripe asked gesturing to the woodland.  
"We brought you here Bluestripe me badger. Found you layin' in the flippen dunes," Sapwood said.  
"So where are you from and where you headed, Bluestripe?" Breeze enquired.  
"I'm from the northern coast, but I don't know where I'm going. Burr, I'm cold," Bluestripe answered.  
"Well, then you should jolly well move closer to the flippen fire, wot?"  
Deciding this was the sensible thing to do, Bluestripe slowly walked to the fire where the hares sat eating oatcakes. Swiftpaw looked into the badger's sparkling blue eyes, noticing for the first time that the Bluestripe had a blue stripe on her muzzle that matched her eyes.  
"Bluestripe is a jolly good name for ya! Ya got a blue stripe on ya nose!" Swiftpaw said in amazement.  
"Well, I say we get some bally sleep. It's gonna be a long journey to Salamandastron on the morro," Colonel Sapwood said settling down to sleep. "Breeze, you take the first watch." 


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II  
  
The forest floor was thick with pine needles as four figures trekked on through the dense woodland, unknowing of the two forces looking at them from the trees.  
Colonel Sapwood noted the position of the sun through the trees. "Time for a flippen rest, wot, wot? Unpack the tucker Swiftpaw!"  
After a leisurely lunch, the group set of through the trees at at a swift pace. "What's that awful smell Breeze?" Bluestripe asked plugging her nose.  
"Don't know Blue me of Stripe, but it's an absolutely foul smell, wot?:"  
A mole appeared from the undergrowth and handed them nose plugs made from doc leaves. "Hurry, plug 'ee nosers oop whi' dis an' foller' oi'," he said.  
After following the mole for some distance, they stopped at an old oak tree where she showed them a secret entrance into her home. "Hurr, oi'm Tammy ee' moler, whom be yurr?"  
"I'm Bluestripe. This is Colonel Sapwood of the long patrol. These are Breeze and Swiftpaw, also from the long patrol. What was that smell back there, Tammy?"  
"Hurr, them varmints be painted uns."  
"Painted ones, shoulda knoweth it!" Colonel Clary said looking disappointed in himself.  
"What are the painted ones?" Bluestripe said looking puzzled.  
"There are weasels that dress up in vines and paint themselves all over their bally bodies provides jolly good camouflage, wot!"  
"Are they dangerous?" Swiftpaw said looking excited at the prospect of a fight.  
"Ho hurr them varmints be reg'lar terrors!" Tammy said in her strange mole dialect, as she put out vegetable pasties with gravy poured on top. "This is thoi lunch et it oop!" and with that Tammy melted into the undergrowth.  
After the four travellers had eaten, Pollykin was still gone so they decided to have a short nap until she returned.  
Bluestripe awoke to find Tammy's homely face smiling above her, "Hurr, yurr bin asleep furr hours, git oop an' have breakist." After breakfast, Tammy showed the travellers a way around the painted ones territory. All the while the two faces followed, always watching . . . 


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER III  
  
The sun beat down upon the sand and rock. A lone figure stood on the tideline ,where land meets water. "Marm, you commin' in?" A hare asked as he approached.  
"I'll be right there, Bobtail," the badger-lord answered as he turned towards the big mountain behind him, Salamandastron!  
"So what ya lookin' at, marm?"  
"Oh, just that vermin ship, north of here, that's headed this way, it'll be here in a few days," the badger lady answered casually.  
As he heard this the hare spun around and scanned the horizon. Sure enough there was a boat slowly, but surely coming towards the shore. "It's one a Deathclaw's ships!" Bobtail declared looking alarmed. "Tallonclaw if I'm not mistaken, miz Gorse, should I alarm the others?"  
"Nah, wait a bit then alarm everyone, but while your waiten' stock up on food and water, check the armoury and post a sentry. So we can make sure to be ready when they get here," she answered, not showing any alarm.  
"That's a bally good idea, wot?" Bobtail said as he ran off to complete the badger bidding.  
"Spearlady Gorse turned and looked at the rapidly approaching ship. "You'll pay for killing my husband and daughter, Deathclaw; you'll pay in blood!" 


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV  
  
Suddenly, three masked figures, trailing weeds appeared out of nowhere. They started chanting as they surrounded Bluestripe and her friends. "We da flicheye, flicheye, flicheye, flicheye! We da flicheye, flicheye, flicheye!" As the chant grew louder, the smell from the previous day, drifted into the air. This time it was stronger.  
The small group started to get sleepy. It was as if the smell cast a spell over them. "Hurr, plue er' nosers!" Tarry yelled as she handed them each two doc leaf noseplugs which worked perfectly by not letting any of the smell in their noses.  
"Ron!" Sapwood yelled. No second bidding was needed as the five creatures fled running blindly.  
After running for quite awhile, Breeze saw a river up ahead. Thinking quickly, Breeze went into a headlong sprint to the river. As she got there, she quickly found a log and pushed it into the stream where she held it until her friends got on. On the log they almost flew over the water. Even though they were going at breakneck speed the painted ones still ran along side the bank screaming their chant as they went, "We're da flicheye, flicheye, flicheye!"  
"Oh no, look up ahead there's a bally waterfall!" Sapwood called out with a look of terror on his face. "If we don't stop we're doomed!"  
The five animals frantically tried to stop, but it was in vain. They headed straight for the waterfall!  
"We're going over! Aaaaaaaa!" Splash!  
They were in the water shouting. The mole screamed, "Hurr, oi hate ee' water!"  
"Logalogalog!"  
Two log boats appeared from nowhere and chased the painted ones away. Then just as suddenly as they appeared, they vanished. "Well, that was odd, wot, wot!"  
"Who were they, Tarry?" Bluestripe said looking puzzled.  
"Hurr, them's shrews, they be good uns, they'll chase them vermits away, hurr!" Tarry said looking relieved.  
"Logalogalogalog!"  
The two log boats shot over the waterfall and landed beside each other just in front of the travellers. All the shrews wore bright colored headbands and carried a rapier. One shrew leaned down and helped Bluestripe out of the water; "I'm logalog, what's your name?"  
"Bluestripe. Where do you come from?"  
"My tribe and I live just down the stream. I'll take you there;" he answered as he helped Swiftpaw out. "Bad form, wot, almost landin' on a chap like that!" 


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER V  
  
"Miz Gorse, the vermin ship is not approaching. It looks like she's going up 'n down the bally coast, wot!"  
"Cowards! They should just come and fight," Spearlady Gorse yelled, her temper rising as the bloodwrath enveloped her with its red mist.  
Seeing the huge badger being taken over by bloodwrath the reporting hare retreated out of the forge room where Spearlady was going red in her eyes. She then started to foam at the mouth as she started to beat a piece of metal paper-thin on her forge.  
"Afternoon time where you off to?"  
"To the kitchen, just made me report. Spearlady's been visited by the bloodwrath again, suggest you don't make ya report till later, wot!"  
"Thinks I will, wot! Let's see what's cookin'," the other hare said. He know how dangerous the badger lady could be when taken over by bloodwrath. Bloodwrath was a sickness almost that only badger warriors were affected by. It basically took over their bodies making them want to do only one thing: kill their enemies. 


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI  
  
The five travellers sat by the fire in the shrew camp eating shrew bread and drinking elder berry wine. "How can we ever repay you and your tribe for saving us at the stream today, Logalog?" Bluestripe asked.  
"By letting us come to Salamandastron with you and your friends," Logalog answered.  
"Why do ya wanna do that Logathing?" Breeze asked looking puzzled.  
"Deathclaw and his vermin attacked our tribe killed five of my shrews and captured the little uns for ore slaves. They sailed off towards Salamandastron."  
In the morning of the next day Tarry and all the shrews that were not fit to travel stood on the bank waving to three log boats as they set off to sea. By noon the three log boats reached blue waters. 


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER VII  
  
Spearlady Gorse was beyond herself with anger. She stood at her forge night and day hardly resting to eat or sleep. She would pound a piece of metal paper thin then another and another. The bloodwrath had taken her over completely. Few hares had enough courage to go up to the forge ad report. Even if they did it did nothing but make the badger act more wild.  
After five days of rowing, Logalog decided that they would hide the log boats on land and march the rest of the way.  
On Tallonclaw, Deathclaw was getting ready to attack Salamandastron after annoying the badger and the hares for awhile. Deciding that he would show how many vermin he had, Deathclaw anchored right in front of Salamandastron and ordered his hoard of rats, stoats, foxes, weasels, and ferrets to crowd around on the sand right in front of Salamandastron. Each of the vermin was armed to the teeth with daggers, cutlasses, swords, lances, pikes, spears, and anything else they could lay their paws on.  
Deciding that the badger needed to know that the vermin were attacking one of the hares was selected to go tell Spearlady Gorse. The hare was quite frightened even though Spearlady was her own leader, not the enemy. "Mmiz Gorse, um the vermin are a-attacking."  
"Wonderful!" The badger said in an almost giddy voice. "Rally the troupes! Arm every beast and tell Windears to get my armour!" Spearlady Gorse was ready for war.  
The frightened hare ran off to carry out her leaders bidding. Within one hour every hare was lined up at the main entrance waiting for Spearlady to give her word. "Charge!" Both sides met each other with a dash. Spearlady Gorse ran into the melee eyes red only able to see her enemy Deathclaw. She killed all that came near her spear.  
Battle cries ran thick. The mountain hares battled the sea vermin.  
"Evlaiaaa!"  
"Blood and vinegar!"  
"Kill, kill, kill!"  
The vermin were winning due to the sheer number of them. Spearlady did not see this: she only saw her foe.  
Just when the hares were about to lose control they heard the war cry of the shrews, "Logalogalog." Help had arrived. When Bluestripe saw her mother battling her way towards Deathclaw, she yelled, "Mother!" Lady Gorse turned, "Daughter!" The two badgers battled towards each other killing every beast between them.  
Finally, they clasped paws. "Daughter let us catch up after the battle. I have a ferret to kill." Side by side mother and daughter fought their way towards Deathclaw. As they reached him he backed away from the two advancing badgers into the water. Little did he know that he had gone too far. He was drowning. 


	9. Epilog

Epilog  
  
After the horrible battle, the animals went aboard Tallonclaw and freed the ore slaves. Once all the dead were buried the animals put on a great feast where tales were told about their journeys and lives.  
For many seasons, Spearlady Gorse lived in Salamandastron with her daughter, Bluestripe. After a while, Spearlady Gorse changed her name back to Lady Gorse. She no longer suffered from Bloodwrath. When she died, Lady Gorse passed ruler ship of Salamandastron to Bluestripe, whose past is still a mystery. 


End file.
